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**Sliccat** · 04-20-2007, 10:50 AM

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A record month, a healthy team and another Player of the Month award for Carmelo Anthony.

After five months of slogging through the NBA schedule, the Denver Nuggets are doing well heading into the playoffs.

So does it bother them that nobody is giving them a chance against the San Antonio Spurs?

“No, that’s more motivation for me and motivation for my teammates, also,” Anthony said. “Nobody has us going past the first round, but we’re going to try to prove people wrong and play our game.”

Nobody’s giving the Nuggets a chance because of history. This is the fifth time the Nuggets and Spurs have met in the postseason, and so far the Spurs are 3-1. Denver’s one playoff win against the Spurs came in the 1985 Western Conference semifinals. The last time these teams met, in the 2005 Western Conference quarterfinals, Denver played well but San Antonio escaped and won in five games on its way to a third NBA title in seven years.

The Nuggets went into the ’05 series as the hottest team in the NBA, and this year, they are 10-1 in April.

Despite a strong finish, and a relatively healthy and rested roster, most expect the Spurs to win the series in five or six games.

“We’re never going to get the credit that we’re due,” said center Marcus Camby, who is a strong candidate for NBA Defensive Player of the Year after leading the NBA in blocks this season. “We won 10 out of our last 11 games, and people say we’re the hottest team, but yet they still don’t think we can beat the Spurs.

“A lot of people been doubting us, but we haven’t lost faith in ourselves. We always felt that once we get guys back on the court healthy and playing the right way, we give ourselves a great chance.”

One reason the Nuggets have faith is they feel they’re a better team than they were two years ago. They have more experience, and they added a proven scorer in Allen Iverson, who will take some of the pressure off Anthony.

“There’s no question we have more substance than the first year I was here,” coach George Karl said. “The first year was a euphoria, a honeymoon. This year, I think we have fought through and had to win. We had to perform in April at a high level to make the playoffs. To go 10-1 in April with most of the games on the road, you have to take your hat off to the players and their commitment and their focus.

“I think we’re a better basketball team. I think we’re stronger. I think we’re mentally tougher. And I think we have another weapon. We have another star weapon that in close games is always going to be more of a factor for us.”

That weapon is Iverson, who has tasted success in the playoffs. He led the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals in 2001 — beating Karl’s Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals that year — and has said repeatedly this is the best team he’s played on.

Iverson didn’t talk to reporters Thursday, but after Denver clinched a playoff spot 11 days ago, he said this team will be a tough draw in the playoffs.

“I think the sky’s the limit,” Iverson said. “As long as we take it one game at a time and trust in each other, play on the defensive end and play unselfishly, then everything will be all right.

“What I’ve been saying since I got here is that a team has got to beat us four times in a playoff series, and I’d like to see that happen.”

The Nuggets are also confident that they won’t be rattled by San Antonio’s defense, which will focus not only on Anthony and Iverson, but on stopping Denver’s running game.

“It’s going to be a tug-of-war out there,” Anthony said. “We want to run; they don’t want to run. They want to play a half-court offense, but we don’t want to do that. We want to get out in the open court. That’s where we’re most comfortable at.”

The Nuggets are also tired of losing in the first round. In the past three years, they’ve had to deal with inexperience and/or injuries.

This year, they’re more savvy and more ready to handle the playoff pressure.

http://www.longmontfyi.com/sports-story.asp?id=15890

melo4life · 04-20-2007, 04:13 PM

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“No, that’s more motivation for me and motivation for my teammates, also,” Anthony said. “Nobody has us going past the first round, but we’re going to try to prove people wrong and play our game.”

Exactly what I would say, nearly everyone has us not going past the first round, but we should use that as motivation going into the first game. I think we are going to put up a good fight and I think we might beat them in about 6 or 7 games. I have faith in them.

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“I think the sky’s the limit,” Iverson said. “As long as we take it one game at a time and trust in each other, play on the defensive end and play unselfishly, then everything will be all right.

It will be interesting which players Karl will want on the bench, the last game should be a good example of who should play off the bench. Players like Evans, Kleiza, JR, Carter can play, and there are a few others who can play well but only on some occasions, like DeMarr, Sampson, Najera and Diawara.

**Sliccat** · 04-21-2007, 03:35 PM

I don't know about the Nuggets winning game 1, the spurs are ready for them to make that run. It will at least be very close. Game 2, I think they have a better chance of winning.

melo4life · 04-21-2007, 08:09 PM

Yeah, we have to get used to their defense in Game 1, then for the next 4 games we should adapt and win them all

melo4life · 04-22-2007, 03:41 AM

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SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Sunday might be the first time the San Antonio Spurs will see how good the Denver Nuggets really are.

The season series, which San Antonio won 2-1, didn't offer much insight into how their first-round playoff series will go once it starts Sunday at the AT&T Center.

"I don't think we played San Antonio the way we should have played them or the way we're capable of playing them this whole season," Carmelo Anthony said. "This is going to be the first time that everybody's playing together."

Anthony was suspended when the Spurs won 92-83 in January. In their second matchup in February, Allen Iverson was just back from an ankle injury and scored only nine points, 16 below his average with Denver at the end of the season. San Antonio won 95-80, holding Iverson and Anthony to 24 points combined.

And their season finale last Wednesday? Neither team had anything to gain and both rested their top players in Denver's meaningless 100-77 rout.

"It's irrelevant, isn't it?" Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said about the season's games. "We have to play the team that comes on Sunday."

And that team has been one of the NBA's hottest in recent weeks. Denver went a franchise-best 10-1 in April.

"We went and beat a lot of playoff teams on the road in April," Denver coach George Karl said. "And our mental toughness got better. Finishing off games got better. Our defense got better. I've said all along I think if we defend and pass, we're pretty good."

Popovich agrees, saying the Nuggets are playing their best basketball of the season. Of Iverson, whom the Nuggets acquired in December from the Philadelphia 76ers, Popovich laughed: "We've never stopped him, have we? I think he likes seeing us, he scores well.

"He's one of those players that you're not going to stop because he's a great one," Popovich said. "And if we can make him work hard, that's always the goal. And if you make someone work hard maybe they'll have a night where they don't make everything."

Putting The Answer and Anthony together makes it that much tougher.

"I think they've really turned a corner this end part of the season -- the last 10, 15 games. They've got some incredible pieces to their team," the Spurs' Tim Duncan said. "They've got what could be the defensive players of the year and two of the top scorers in the league and a whole cast. They're going to be an incredible challenge."

But the Spurs' league-leading defense has proven it can handle just about anything. They have a few offensive weapons, too.

Tony Parker, who will see a lot of time matched against Iverson, noted that though Iverson's speed will be hard to contain, "He's going to chase me, too."

And Denver may have to work hard to crowd the lane to keep Parker and Manu Ginobili from driving to the basket.

"We know they're going to do that," Ginobili said. "But I think we've got enough weapons to make shots from the outside. ... I think we've got all three important parts of the offense" -- penetration, outside shooting and an inside game.

And the Spurs are hoping that drawing Denver in the first round bodes well.

Two years ago, with a 59-23 season record, they beat Denver 4-1 in the first round on their way to the 2005 title. The Spurs also won it all in 1999 and 2003. The Nuggets haven't won a playoff series since 1994.

This season the Spurs ended up two games short of 60 wins. It would have been the fourth time the franchise had reached the milestone. After Milwaukee snapped San Antonio's season-high 13-game win streak in March, the Spurs went 12-6 the rest of the season. They lost only 10 games at home.

"They're a great team, probably the most consistent throughout the year," said Marcus Camby. "They've been overshadowed by the sort of season the Mavericks have had. But you don't overlook them."

Speaking of Dallas, San Antonio isn't overlooking Denver, but the Spurs are hungry to erase the memories of their last playoff game, an overtime loss to the Mavericks in Game 7 of last season's Western Conference semifinals.

"They're a special team that knows who they are probably better than we do. There will be situations where their experience and maturity will help them," Karl said. "But there also will be some situations where the stress and pressure and expectations of (the Spurs winning another) championship will help us."

At least Denver hopes so.

"It's just going to be tough, but I just feel good about us," Iverson said. "I feel confident in my team and my coaching staff. I know it's going to be hard, but it's something that we can accomplish."

This game will be tough for the Nuggets, not really used to the defense of a good team, but we need to pick up our defense a bit aswell if we want a good win.

Melo's Answer · 04-22-2007, 08:55 AM

So wheres everyone watching the game? Anyone doing anything big for the game?

Im having a party at the crib for the game havin a bunch of the guys over got the fridge full of beer gonna have a good night after we take game 1

**Sliccat** · 04-22-2007, 09:42 AM

at my dorm. I'm counting down the minutes

**Pimped Out** · 04-22-2007, 10:00 AM

i'll be watching at my dorm too but im probably not as excited as sliccat. i will be cheering on AI though.

**Sliccat** · 04-22-2007, 10:34 AM

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Originally Posted by Pimped Out

i'll be watching at my dorm too but im probably not as excited as sliccat. i will be cheering on AI though.

Yeah, I've almost convinced myself that the nuggets have a chance.

**Pimped Out** · 04-22-2007, 11:00 AM

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Originally Posted by Sliccat

Yeah, I've almost convinced myself that the nuggets have a chance.

yeah, i dont see them having a huge chance to win this series, but it will still be fun hoping they do. If they had a better chance of winning, i would probably be cheering for the spurs.

**Sliccat** · 04-22-2007, 02:01 PM

two hours before tip off. Time to go through my pre-playoff rituals.

1. Play basketball with and wearing an Iverson jersey. (done)

2. Keep wearing stinky, slimy Iverson jersey. (done)

3. Play Blackalicious' "Passion" 800 times.

4. Pray to the basketball gods.

5. Cuss out everybody I know.

6. Turn on Nuggets game and start screaming at the TV.

I miss the playoffs.

melo4life · 04-22-2007, 02:08 PM

Is it just me that's nervous?? Cause since I have been thinking that we have a chance to win it, I have been more nervous and unfortunately I won't get to watch it because I got school, but Imma try and get to a computer at least to get the live scores.

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